We Asked, You Answered: Here's How the #MeToo Movement Has Impacted Your Health One Year Later

In the year since #MeToo went viral, sexual harassment and assault are—finally—getting the attention they deserve. We couldn’t help but wonder: How do these convos affect our well-being? So we partnered with Men's Health and SurveyMonkey to poll nearly 3,500 men and women (scroll down for more on the methodology here), then asked experts to help us unpack some of the most surprising findings. The big takeaways: There’s power in speaking out, healing in open dialogues, and progress in getting real. Read on, friends.

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37% of women said that in the wake of #MeToo, they now consider a past sexual encounter inappropriate. 7% of men said the same.

Why the gender gap? Women and men often perceive consent differently, says Helen Wilson, PhD, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford University. Sex can be nuanced, and what legitimately feels okay to one person, even in hindsight, could be traumatic for another. The key to getting on the same page: better communication.

Men need to brush up on reading nonverbal cues, says Edna Foa, PhD, director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety and a professor of psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. But we have some work to do too. Women have to set clear boundaries, says psychotherapist Joyce Marter, LCPC, founder of counseling practice Urban Balance. “Speaking up is more important than any awkwardness you may feel about saying ‘I don’t have sex on the first date’ or ‘I don’t like X in bed,’ ” she says. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Just ask the 16 percent of women in our survey who said they’re likelier to speak explicitly about consent during physical intimacy after #MeToo.

83% of women said that just thinking about a past experience that crossed the line made them feel anxious, depressed or regretful.

Getty ImagesAdam Berry

Emotional distress can reemerge—or even show up for the first time—months or even years after an assault. And news stories about the topic can dredge up old memories and trigger the mental woes. They may linger, especially if you never fully confronted or processed the experience, says Blair Wisco, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

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If revisiting a past event prompts a change in your mood, sharing your story can help. You’ll likely connect with other women over the experience. Or try prolonged exposure therapy, in which survivors gradually explore trauma-related memories.

16% of women said they feel anxious talking about #MeToo with men.

One reason: The sheer number of stories about women being attacked by men can create a general sense of fear or distrust of the opposite sex, says Marter. That’s stressful. But think of it this way: Who better to make sure men understand exactly what we’ve been going through for years—scratch that—decades (millennia)? Talking openly about this issue is what leads to change, says Wilson.

Come to the conversation with the goal of understanding each other, rather than aiming to change his opinion, says trauma specialist Linda Curran, LPC. You’re more likely to get him on your side if you don’t set it up as us-against-them. Guy defending someone sketchy in the news? Ask him why, then explain why you disagree. Many men want to understand your perspective, says Curran. Nearly half of the guys in our survey said #MeToo has been just as good for men as for women, which suggests they’re glad we’re having these conversations.

If you do come up against a closed-minded jerk? Walk away. You never have to engage with someone who makes you uncomfortable, says Curran.

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56% of women are worried about men being falsely accused.

Getty ImagesOwen Franken - Corbis

That number was higher than we expected. But get this: Among 18- to 34-year-olds, women were even more concerned about this possibility than men. Our initial reaction: Wait—what? Then our experts explained the complex psychology that might be at play. Women tend to blame themselves after an assault because it offers them a sense of power in a helpless situation, says Foa: “Saying ‘If I’d done that differently’ gives you options outside of the thought that some people are just evil, and there’s nothing you can do to stop them.” This tendency to shoulder blame may be why so many women want to give men the benefit of the doubt.

Women are also naturally more empathetic, which may make us more sensitive to the possibility of unfairly ruining someone’s life, says Curran. “And women who feel their partners or sons could never do that may be more aware of how it would feel if their loved one was called out as an attacker,” she says. We told you, it’s complicated.

We’re firmly in the #NotAllMen camp, but know that false accusations are relatively rare. Only an estimated 2 to 10 percent of all reported assaults are fabricated, according to Violence Against Women. So go with your gut—that’s part of what this important movement is about.

The fallout of sexual harassment and assault isn't just mental. It can eat away at your physical health too.

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Here’s why: When you’re on edge about interacting with a coworker who constantly sends suggestive emails, or worried you’ll run into a male acquaintance who won’t stop making aggressive comments at a party, your body unleashes a flood of cortisol (a.k.a. the stress hormone), says Nekeshia Hammond, PsyD, a psychologist in Brandon, Florida. Your pulse and blood pressure rise, triggering the fight-or-flight response.

That reaction can be protective in the short term, but when it happens on repeat it can cause insulin resistance (a precursor to diabetes), weight gain, sleep problems, and hair loss. A history of emotional trauma—including sexual harassment—can even increase the risk for heart disease, possibly because victims may turn to smoking or overeating to cope.

The best way to sidestep all? Give your mental health some TLC by setting firm boundaries, speaking out, and, if needed, talking to a therapist. —Carrie Arnold

This piece originally appeared in the October issue of Women's Health. For more great content, pick up an issue on newsstands now.

Survey methodology statement: This Men’s Health and Women’s Health/SurveyMonkeyonline poll was conducted June 29- July 1, 2018 among 3,372 adults, including 1,636 men and 1,736 women in the United States. The modeled error estimate for the full sample is 2.5 percentage points. Respondents for this survey were selected from more than 2 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. Data have been weighted for age, race, sex, education, and geography using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States age 18 and over. Crosstabs availablehere.

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